20 Years of Female Artistry with Max Mara

When was the last time you went to or saw a female-only exhibition? Been a while? The art world is invariably male focused, however, over the past twenty years the Max Mara Art Prize has been set on tipping the hypothetical binary scale. Recognising this, two decades of visionary female artistry will be displayed, honoured, and celebrated at the historic Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy from 17 April to 30 August 2025. Celebrating 20 years of the biennial Max Mara Art Prize, the work of the nine past winners is presented in this anthological exhibition, titled Time for Women! Empowering Visions in 20 Years of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, which explores the work they each made during their 6 month residencies in Italy. 

Max Mara, started by Achilles Maramotti in 1951, has always been recognised for its celebration of women, not only in design and silhouette but now, for 20 years of modern female artistry thanks to this prodigious prize which the Max Mara Fashion Group founded in 2005 in partnership with Whitechapel Gallery (Collezione Maramotti came on board as the third partner in 2007). Since, its primary focus has been uplifting and celebrating women in art through presenting the winners with a tailored residency experience that is meant to encourage the exploration of the winners’ work in new environments, refine old techniques while learning contemporary ones and give the artists space to reflect and grow within their creative practice. The Max Mara Art Prize is intended to lend these artists a helping hand during pivotal and often decisive moments in their career, and support them in taking a much larger step forward than maybe they could achieve on their own.

Time for Women! Empowering Visions in 20 Years of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, will feature artists Margaret Salmon, Hannah Rickards, Andrea Büttner, Laure Prouvost, Corin Sworn, Emma Hart, Helen Cammock, Emma Talbot, and Dominique White. The exhibition leads viewers through 9 separate spaces in the La Strozzi that will contain a variety of media and practices, cultivating a unique audience experience that takes us through the narrative and process of the different artists' creative voyage.

Time for Women! Empowering Visions in 20 Years of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, will take place at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy from 17 April to 30 August 2025. Join these 9 women in honouring their collective work and the dazzling future of this transformative prize.